Meta promises ad ecosystem relying on ‘less data’ in privacy push

Meta has pledged to build an advertising ecosystem that relies on less data, as the social media giant looks to push forward with its privacy agenda. 

EMEA director of global customer marketing, Carrie Timms, explained the brand realises people are more concerned about data in advertising than ever before and this must be a “priority” for marketers to gain consumer trust.

“Marketers need to first secure people’s trust, trust should be a priority. And it’s certainly a priority for us here at Meta, we know the advertising landscape is changing,” said Timms, speaking at Meta’s Social Trends and Shaping Business in 2022 and Beyond event today (14 December).

“And we know and we fully support the push to give people more control about how their data is used to target ads. In the long term, we want to drive the privacy agenda forward by building a personalised advertising ecosystem that relies on less data.”

She called the future of privacy an “industry-wide concern”, which can only be resolved through collaboration between advertisers, governments and other social media platforms.

The way we do marketing depends on people trusting us with data. The more they lose trust, the harder it will be to do good marketing.

Carrie Timms, Meta

Keen to highlight the social media company’s progress in this regard, Timms pointed out Meta is currently in partnership with initiatives such as the Partnership for Responsible Addressable Media, the World Wide Web Consortium and the World Federation of Advertisers.

“Now, you might be surprised to hear this from me. But allow me to explain why I and others at Meta are passionate about trust. We’ve seen that during the pandemic, trust has become more important than ever to consumers,” said Timms.

She pointed to user trust being a “powerful force” that made the global Covid vaccine rollout successful, adding that trust is now the second most important reason for consumer purchases, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer report. 

“I believe that building and keeping trust will be critical to the success of marketing in the years ahead. That’s because the way we do marketing depends on people trusting us with data. The more they lose trust, the harder it will be to do good marketing,” said Timms.

Personalisation meets purpose

Meta regards personalisation as a key asset, particularly beneficial to small businesses who don’t possess huge budgets. Three out of four small businesses feel personalised advertising is important to the success of their business, said Timms citing a Deloitte report.

“This phenomenon has been accelerated by the pandemic, when more people experience online personalisation than ever before,” she added.

But personalisation can go wrong, which has the potential to be detrimental for brands by decimating trust.

“When done wrong personalisation doesn’t add value and people notice. Nobody likes to be followed around the internet by ads for that pair of socks that you looked at once, or indeed already bought,” said Timms.

When it comes to purpose, she understands consumers are more “educated and observant” and it is not enough for a brand to simply conduct more campaigns on sustainability and social justice.

In the long term, we want to drive the privacy agenda forward by building a personalised advertising ecosystem that relies on less data.

Carrie Timms, Meta

One brand which used Meta’s social platforms to successfully unite personalisation and purpose is earplug producer Flare Audio. The brand targeted its ads at people with autism, as those with the condition are more sensitive to loud noises.

The brand commissioned an illustrator who herself is autistic and whose work reflects what those with the condition feel. The activation led to a 30% increase in sales.

“A positive response is a great example of the power of purpose done right. This brand was able to build enormous trust by having a great product and by marketing it in a thoughtful way,” said Timms.

She believes that purpose and personalisation working hand-in-hand is the future of marketing.

“You’ve all heard the saying ‘Trust the process’. Marketers heading into 2022 and beyond, I would say let’s change it up and say ‘Trust is the process’,” Timms added. “It’s a process which will bring value to our brands, our customers and society in the years to come.”